


Moirai

by machtaholic (cinderella81), shiny_glor_chan



Series: Moirai!Verse [1]
Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: F/M, FSA Week, Fix-It, M/M, Multi, Pre-Threesome, Season/Series 02, Threesome - F/M/M, Triad Verse, Triads
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-09
Updated: 2015-10-09
Packaged: 2018-04-25 13:24:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 15,508
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4962229
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cinderella81/pseuds/machtaholic, https://archiveofourown.org/users/shiny_glor_chan/pseuds/shiny_glor_chan
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sophomore year was supposed to be easy, or at least that’s what Allison tells herself.  She’s going to make things work with Scott and have a normal high school experience.  But then real life blows that plan out of the water - she’s suddenly dealing with family drama, a creepy stalker, and a Kanima...and then her friends start finding their Triads. It never crosses her mind that Allison has a Triad, but when helping her friend forces her to work with someone she’d rather avoid, she discovers that her life’s about to change in a big way.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Moirai

**Author's Note:**

> So, I've left anon on because I don't care what the Scerek Hate Anon says, but fair warning, it probably won't be safe to read the comments. Plus, I like to antagonize the jerk off myself when they comment. So read any comments at your own peril.
> 
> This is set in a Triad'verse, [which is explained here, more or less](http://triadverse.tumblr.com/post/86154454124/triad-verse-faq). Becky and I had fun writing this. <3 Enjoy!
> 
> ~Gloria

It’s easy to slip out of the house. No one pays Allison any attention, and she calmly walks out the front door, slides behind the wheel of her car and drives off. She figures once everything dies down she’ll been in trouble, but until then…

Stiles takes a bit longer than usual to answer her texts. If it were anyone else, she'd think maybe her code for asking where Scott is might not make sense to anyone but her. Fortunately, Stiles knows Scott better than anyone, so he understands what she means. He must have been caught up, but the text comes through before she gets too worried.

_ice rink w/ friends._

Allison frowns at her phone, patting her purse for her crossbow. She knows who the friends probably are, and maybe she speeds a bit on the way to the ice rink. Once there, Allison parks in back and readies her crossbow as she sneaks inside as quietly as she can.

She can see Scott standing on the ice rink, face to face with Derek, Boyd, Erica and Isaac. He’s on one side, they’re on the other - like a standoff. She knows that if a fight starts, Scott won’t make it out without some serious injuries. Allison also knows that Scott’s more of a pacifist - he doesn’t actually _want_ to fight, but he’ll do it if he has to.

“Boyd, I just wanna talk,” Allison hears Scott say. “Hey, come on, Boyd, please. Did Derek tell you everything? And I don't just mean going out of control on the full moons. I mean everything.”

“He told me about the hunters,” Boyd replies. Allison’s pretty sure not even Derek knows everything about the hunters. 

“And that's not enough for you to say no? Whatever you want, there's other ways to get it,” Scott tells him.

“I just wanna not eat lunch alone every day,” Boyd states stoically.

“If you're looking for friends, you can do a lot better than Derek,” Scott says.

“Scott’s right!” Allison calls, her crossbow trained on Derek, who she notices before Scott does. “You don’t know everything.”

“Says the little huntress in training,” Derek replies as he steps forward, staring Allison down. “I’ll catch that bolt if you let it fly.”

“Maybe, but I don’t need to make a hit. I think you won’t want to fight us, when you learn what I know,” she says as confidently as she can, moving to stand next to Scott who stares at her with wide eyes.

“Allison, what happened?” Scott asks, unable to keep the worry from his voice. “Your family-”

“-doesn’t even know I left the house,” Allison interrupts, keeping her gaze locked with Derek. “Gerard’s leaving town with his hunters.”

Derek snorts. “And why should we believe that?”

“Because from what I overheard, they have something worse to deal with,” Allison says, bow still aimed at Derek; she spares a quick glance over at Scott before continuing. “They didn’t know I was listening, but Gerard was talking about... Kate.” She sees Derek react, but keeps going before Derek can say anything. “She’s alive. There was talk about a deep scratch being enough to turn someone. And that it wasn’t a myth.”

“Wait, a scratch can turn someone?” Scott asks, brows furrowed in confusion.

“It’s rare,” Derek replies tersely. “Extremely rare.”

“Well, it happened to Kate,” Allison says, bow still trained on Derek. “And now Gerard’s going to go down to Mexico to try to find her.”

“Who’s Kate?” Isaac speaks up, getting everyone’s attention.

“My aunt,” Allison says before Derek can speak up. She doesn’t know what he’s going to say, but whatever it is wouldn’t be flattering to her aunt, even if it might be deserved.

“If she’s back, and she’s a werewolf... Why hasn’t she come back to Beacon Hills?” Scott questions. “Pretty sure she wanted take us all out at the end.”

Allison holds back a flinch as Derek stares at her, ignoring Scott. “We won’t have to worry about Gerard then,” he says evenly, holding back a lot; Allison’s sure of it. “Let’s just hope they take each other out.”

“Just because she’s done bad things, doesn’t mean she deserves to die,” Allison tells him fiercely. “And my grand-”

“Cuts werewolves in half with a broadsword,” Derek interrupts with a snarl. “And Kate with the power of an uncontrolled, beta werewolf? The destruction left in her wake would be horrific.”

“Maybe Gerard can help her keep control,” Scott butts in, tone hopeful.

Allison catches the look Derek gives Scott and tries not to emulate it. She doesn’t know what Gerard’s going to do, but she doesn’t think it’s going to be helping Kate gain control. But as long as he’s out of the way, Allison can relax a little.

“For now, they’re not our problem,” Allison reasons, looking between Scott and Derek with his pack behind him. “What is our problem is fighting each other when there’s a creature out there we need to stop before it kills more people.”

“Allison’s right,” Scott backs her up, and she has to bite back a smile as he steps to stand beside her. “You can stop building up for a war that’s not happening with the hunters right now.”

“And why should we listen to you, Scott?” Erica asks, stepping forward with bared fangs. “You’re in with a hunter, and we already all know hunters do nothing good.”

“I’m not my family,” Allison says, eyes narrowed in Erica’s direction.

“Says the girl with an arrow pointed at Derek,” Erica retorts with an eyeroll.

“Don’t you see?” Scott says to Boyd “You don’t have to do this.”

Allison watches as Boyd climbs off the Zamboni and moves to stand with Derek, Erica, and Isaac. “Too late, I already chose,” Boyd says, lifting his shirt to show the fresh bite on his side.

Allison watches as Erica, Isaac and Boyd all make their way off the ice, brushing past her and almost...ignoring her.

“Not that you’ll believe me, but whatever you think we’re going to do, we’re not,” Derek says, his shoulder brushing hers as he passes her on his way off the rink.

Allison jolts a bit at the brush, feeling a bit of a shock go through her. Her grip on the bow falters and she almost drops it, but then Scott’s right there, his hand on hers.

“Hey, you okay?” Scott asks.

“Fine,” Allison replies, relaxing a bit when Scott gives her hand a squeeze. “A lot of stress, I guess.”

Scott frowns at her words as he drops her hand and wraps an arm around her shoulders. “Hey, at least we don’t have to worry about your grandfather anymore?” he jokes weakly.

“I feel like we still do, though,” Allison says. “But I guess we don’t have to worry so much, at least until we hear word he’s coming back.”

“See? A little bright spot,” Scott replies.

“Yeah, one little spot,” Allison replies softly. She thinks about Derek and his new pack, and Lydia’s outburst on their double date at the ice rink and thinks that there’s still a lot more for them to worry about.

* * * 

Allison thinks about going home for a moment when she parts ways with Scott, but when she checks her phone and sees her mom and dad haven’t called or texted her, she decides to take advantage of the freedom. She heads for Lydia’s and feels a sense of freedom, a sense of being carefree teenager.

Lydia answers the door, and Allison takes in her best friend’s state of dress. She’s already wearing pajamas; the comfy, flannel ones Allison knows she only wears when she’s having a bad night.

“Hey,” Allison greets tentatively.

“I’m fine, no need to check in on me, Allison,” Lydia replies, crossing her arms. “Don’t you have a curfew?”

Normally, Allison hates when Lydia points out her parents’ hold over where she can go and when, but right now, she ignores it and walks past Lydia, who protests. “Do you already have The Notebook playing? We should probably grab some ice cream.”

As Allison walks towards the Martins’ kitchen, she feels Lydia’s eyes on her, burning a hole in the back of her skull. “You know your dad’s just going to come knocking,” she says as she quickly follows Allison. “I mean, not that I mind seeing your dad.”

“Stop right there,” Allison says. “Mom and Dad are dealing with their own stuff, so I’m being properly ignored.”

Lydia gives an elegant shrug, shuffling back to the living room to settle on the couch. She grabs a nail file from the coffee table and proceeds to file her nails.

Allison follows Lydia, frowning a bit as she takes in the picture in front of her. “Are you okay?” she asks.

“Fine,” Lydia replies, staring almost blankly at the television.

“You’re not,” Allison answers back with a head shake. “Because you’ve been filing the same nail since you sat down.”

Lydia glances down at her nails and hums. “Huh,” she mumbles.

Allison kicks off her shoes and sits down on the couch next to Lydia. “What’s wrong?” she asks gently.

Lydia sighs softly. “You remember the ice rink? You and Scott and me and Stiles?” she asks, not even waiting for Allison to acknowledge her before continuing. “I saw something under the ice ...someone actually.”

“Who?” Allison asks gently.

“I don’t know,” Lydia admits softly. “It’s a man, older... He seems really familiar to me.”

“Well, describe him to me,” Allison prods cautiously.

“It’s silly.” Lydia sets her nail file down and turns to face the television.

“Indulge me,” Allison says, turning to face Lydia and tucking her feet underneath her.

Lydia sighs, her eyes firmly on Ryan Gosling on the television. She’s quiet for a few minutes, but then begins describing the man she saw. She’s not looking at Allison, so she doesn’t see the recognition dawn on Allison’s face.

“Crazy, right?” Lydia questions, with a nervous laugh.

Allison doesn’t quite know how to respond - it’s both crazy and completely believable, because Allison knows who Lydia was describing, remembers seeing him claw her aunt’s throat open. If her aunt could survive that, maybe he did too...

“Yeah, totally crazy,” Allison finally says.

“Hey,” Lydia looks over at Allison, suddenly appearing very vulnerable. “Stay the night?”

“My parents are dealing with their own crazy; they won’t even miss me,” Allison answers with a nod. “I’ll stay.”

* * *

Derek can hear the car, can smell her before he even sees her. Her scent is familiar, reminiscent of her aunt, but only slightly.

“You’re hovering,” Derek says, hearing her just inside the railway station. 

“Pretty sure I’m not first on your list of people you’d let in here,” Allison replies, moving into Derek’s line of sight.

“No,” Derek states firmly.

“We have a problem,” Allison tells him and gets a glare in reply.

“We? There’s no we,” Derek answers. “There’s you, and there’s me. Not we. And if there’s a problem, why don’t you go to Scott?””

Allison rolls her eyes. “There’s a problem involving your uncle,” she says. “And... I’m trying to not involve Scott in this.”

Derek’s eyes narrow as he glares at her. “My _dead_ uncle? I took care of that problem,” he tells her, flashing his red alpha eyes for emphasis.

“Yeah, your uncle that bit my best friend,” she replies, ignoring his dismissal of the subject. “My best friend who is having screaming fits and nightmares about him.”

“Just trauma,” Derek answers, though he’s not so sure he believes his own words.

“You’re being willfully ignorant,” Allison tells him point blank, and he restrains himself from growling at the accusation. “My aunt Kate is alive after your uncle slit her throat in front of me, and you don’t think your uncle could manage the same thing?”

Derek hesitates, because he knew his uncle; this isn’t completely beyond the scope of something Peter could pull off. “Pretend I believe you. Why haven’t I noticed he was here? I’m an alpha now. He wouldn’t be able to hide from me.”

Now, Allison hesitates and glances away. “I don’t think he’s completely alive...”

“Of course he’s not alive,” Derek snaps.

Allison looks back at him, a fire in her eyes that reminds of what he loved about Kate...before. “But I don’t think he’s completely dead either, and that’s enough that we should worry about it,” she states. “I think he’s using Lydia somehow. She didn’t turn after he bit her. Maybe there’s a reason for that.”

Her theory gives Derek pause, as much as he doesn’t want it to. “Using her how? Coming back from the dead isn’t exactly an easy feat.”

“He could do it,” Allison tells him. “I can tell you believe he could. The question is how he’s using Lydia to do it, and how to stop him before she gets hurt again by him.”

Derek sighs and rubs a hand over his face. “Peter,” he starts, “always had this charisma, this way of getting people to do what he wanted without them realizing it.”

Allison makes a face. “Ew,” she says. “So you’re saying it’s possible Peter’s using her to...what, gather whatever he needs to come back?”

He nods tersely. “That’s one theory.”

“Then we should do something about it.” Allison pauses then clenches her fists. “First, I’ll need help keeping an eye on Lydia. We can’t let her go anywhere alone, but I can’t always be there.”

Derek snorts. “You’re asking me to stalk a teenager,” he states, amusement in his voice.

She smiles at him, and it’s not a nice smile. “Oh, I know it’s not the first time. I mean, you stalked Scott all the time, and all your betas are teenagers,” she points out with a faux innocence that makes Derek scowl. “Look, you and Isaac can’t be seen at school, but I can’t just leave school if she gives me the slip. My parents will eventually start to notice something’s up, even with the Kate distraction right now.”

Derek just raises a brow. “Fine,” he finally bites out. “I’ll watch her. And get my betas to help. But only to keep Peter from coming back.”

“Then we have an agreement,” Allison replies, putting her hand out for him to shake.

He stares at her hand for a long moment before biting the bullet, taking her hand in his, and shaking firmly. “We do,” he agrees. He stares down as their hands as his hand starts to tingle, like it was starting to fall asleep. He releases her hand quickly and starts shaking it.

“Being an Argent isn’t contagious,” Allison mutters, but she’s rubbing her hand too.

Derek’s frown deepens as he shakes the feeling back into his hands. “You didn’t feel-? Nevermind,” he says, quickly getting back to the matter at hand. “I’ll keep an eye on Lydia, or one of my betas will. We’ll let you know if something changes.”

“Fine,” Allison replies. “Do we need to figure out a place to leave notes for each other or-”

“I can find you,” Derek interrupts.

“Of course you can,” Allison says blandly. “I’ll wait with bated breath for any news.” She rolls her eyes and leaves Derek alone.

* * * 

Following Lydia around is the most boring thing Isaac has ever had to do. He can’t be seen at school, so he gets the job of following Lydia around after school’s done, if she’s not hanging out with Allison. It becomes almost a montage of coffee shops and shopping trips, interspersed with some truly epic hair flips. He is well and truly bored, and keeps telling Derek, but Derek keeps saying something was wrong with Lydia and to keep watching. So, Isaac does as he’s told, and keeps watching.

Erica doesn’t know why Derek asks her to watch Lydia, he just tells her to keep an eye on Lydia, no explanations. Not that Erica expects one - Derek always just tells her shit to do. But watching Lydia is boring as hell. B.O.R.I.N.G. All Lydia does is shop, do homework and paint her nails. And watch The Notebook. All the time.

Sometimes Erica brings Boyd with her - he helps to keep Erica from getting bored out of her skull. He’s got great hands, and his fingers work magic. But sometimes, every once in a while, she smells something different coming from Lydia, something heady, musky...arousal. Erica knows that Lydia’s not with Jackson anymore—their breakup was epic—so who the fuck is she screwing?

“Lydia’s totally getting some,” Erica says casually as she, Boyd, and Isaac share a bag of M&Ms. She always takes the red, Boyd likes the green, and Isaac the orange.

“But she’s broken up with Jackson,” Isaac says, popping a couple of M&Ms.

“Duh, I know,” Erica answers. “Still don’t know why we’re even watching her.”

“Derek says watch,” Boyd replies.

“Derek says a lot of shit,” Erica tells him in return, shifting closer and resting her head on Boyd’s shoulder, rubbing her check against him. “There are other things we could be doing rather than watching Lydia.”

“Guys, I’m right here,” Isaac groans, covering his face with his hands. “You guys could at least go to the car or something.”

“Why would we do that?” Erica asks with a grin.

“Common decency?” Isaac replies skeptically.

“What if I want you to join in?”

Boyd chuckles as he watches Isaac blush and tugs him closer. “You can’t feel it?” Boyd asks.

“Feel what?” Isaac questions, looking adorably confused. 

Erica rolls her eyes and takes one of Isaac’s hands and one of Boyd’s, so the three of them are touching. “ _That_ ,” she whispers reverently. 

Isaac’s hand starts to tingle, and he shivers. “Oh,” he murmurs.

“Yeah,” Erica agrees softly. “So, let’s get to those better things we could be doing.”

* * * 

Derek growls as he parks his car near the high school and strides onto campus. School has already been let out, but his betas are nowhere to be found. Although, a couple of days ago their scents had changed, melded. Derek knows they’re shirking their surveillance of Lydia to indulge in their newly formed triad. He’s part irritated, part happy; his betas deserve some happiness.

He’s only taken a few steps through the doors when Allison stops him.

“What are you doing here?” Allison demands, unnerved by Derek’s sudden appearance instead of his betas.

“Taking over surveillance of Lydia,” Derek replies as he pushes past her and tracks Lydia’s scent.

“We agreed-” she starts.

“My betas are off doing their own thing and have stopped watching her,” he explains.

“Why are they... because you didn’t tell them anything, of course,” Allison figures out, rolling her eyes.

Derek ignores her and continues through the school, following Lydia’s now familiar scent. It’s heady, strong and filled with arousal and sexual satisfaction. It was suddenly very clear why his betas had given in to their sexual instincts; he licks his lips as the smell gets stronger.

“They didn’t need to know,” Derek retorts.

“Don’t you think they would have taken it more seriously if you’d told them why?” Allison asks as she stomps after Derek.

“No,” he replies succinctly. The smell is stronger as he heads towards the guidance counselor’s office. He steps up to the door and eases it open, the smell hitting him like a Mack truck. And it’s not just Lydia he’s smelling; it’s Lydia, Jackson, and Stiles. The three of them together. “Huh, Lydia and Jackson found a way to shut Stiles up,” he comments as the closes the door quietly.

“What?” she questions. “What’s going on?”

“Lydia’s safe for now,” Derek tells her. “Jackson and Stiles are keeping her company.”

“Jackson and ...oh,” Allison mutters as realization hits her, eyes wide. “Got it.”

“More of any of them than I’d ever wanted to see,” he says, making his way back down the hallway. He’s seen enough, really.

An awkward silence falls between them. “What are you guys doing?” Scott appears in the hall from around the corner, blocking both their paths and breaking the silence.

“I was looking for Lydia so we could study for our Chemistry exam next week,” Allison lies, praying Scott isn’t listening too closely to her heartbeat.

Derek doesn’t even flinch when Scott’s gaze shifts over to him. “I ran into her while I was looking for my betas,” he lies smoothly.

“Uh-huh,” Scott says, looking back and forth between the two of them suspiciously.

“And they’re clearly not here,” Derek says as he brushes past Scott. He feels a weird tingle in his shoulder from where it brushes against Scott’s, he but ignores it. 

“Did you find Lydia?” Scott asks when Derek’s gone,absently rubbing at his shoulder.

“Yes, and we’re just going to leave it at that,” Allison says as she takes Scott’s hand and drags him down the hall, “and leave.”

“Don’t you need to study?”

“I’ll find her tomorrow,” she explains. “Wanna go back to your place?”

Scott smiles and nods, squeezing her hand. “Yeah, I’d like that.”

* * *

Scott enjoys holding Allison in his arms. He’s been able to get away with it more often, now that the Argent family is in disarray over Kate’s resurrection. Not that he’s happy about the situation, but he can’t help but reap the benefits of getting more uninterrupted Allison time. Scott brushes a stray strand of hair from her face, tucking it behind her ear as she wakes up.

Allison smiles up at him once she blinks the sleep from her eyes. “Hey,” she murmurs.

“Hey,” Scott replies, placing a kiss on her forehead. “My mom will be home in a bit. You don’t have to leave, but she’ll probably notice if we don’t make ourselves presentable soon.”

Yawning, Allison runs a hand through her sex mussed hair as she sits up. “Yeah, definitely not the lasting impression I want to leave on your mom,” she tells him as she slips out of his arms to grab her slip dress and tights. 

“She loves you, don’t worry,” Scott reassures her as he stretches out and reaches out for her shirt that’s hanging over the lamp. “But I was wondering about something.”

Allison takes her henley from him once she has her slip straightened up. “Yeah?”

“About you and Derek stalking Lydia…”

Turning around abruptly, Allison looks over at Scott with wide eyes. “What?”

“Come on, I know you weren’t looking for Lydia so you can study together,” Scott says. “And Derek wasn’t looking for his betas... They’ve been going to the same spot every day after school. They’re Triads, you know.”

Allison didn’t know, but it makes sense. “We’re not...stalking Lydia,” she says slowly.

“But there is a we,” Scott points out as he slides out of the bed to stand next to her. “You know you don’t have to lie to me about anything, right? I trust you.”

“Then trust me that I know what I’m doing,” she replies, still not wanting to Scott to get involved, and knowing that if he knew about Peter’s involvement with Lydia, he’d dive in head first to help.

Scott frowns for a moment, reaching out to cup Allison’s face. “Okay,” he agrees, albeit reluctantly. “It has to be important, if you’re willing to team up with Derek over it. I was pretty sure you didn’t like him.”

Allison scrunches her nose, and that pulls a chuckle from Scott. “I don’t, but we have...shared interests. At least enough that I don’t put an arrow in his leg, and he doesn’t claw my throat out,” she jokes.

“Not funny,” he says quietly, running his thumb back and forth on her cheek before placing a kiss on her forehead. “But we’ll see if Derek dodges questions as well as you.”

She snorts in response as she playfully shoves him away and grabs his shirt from the tangled bedsheets. “Get dressed. Your mom’ll be here soon. I’ll make your bed, so it doesn’t look like we just had a few hours of amazing sex in it.”

Scott gets the dumb smile he usually gets when Allison mentions sex, and she can’t help but share it as he gets dressed and she makes his bed.

* * *

Scott’s mom is at work, with her car, so Scott runs from his house through town to the train yard where Derek is. He finds Derek sitting in a corner of the warehouse...reading? Reading. 

“We need to talk,” Scott says in lieu of a real greeting.

Derek looks up from his book with a sigh. “No pleasantries?” he asks as he closes his book and stands.

“Why are you stalking Lydia?” 

“I’m not-” Derek begins.

“Please, I know you weren’t looking for your betas the other day,” Scott interrupts. “Your betas are a Triad and have been going into the woods every day.” A very loud groan comes from inside one of the train cars and Derek strides past him.

“We’re not having this discussion here.”

“Okay,” Scott says slowly. A very feminine squeal comes from the train car, and Scott turns and practically runs after Derek. “Where you do want to have this discussion? Because I’m not just gonna go away.”

Derek glances over his shoulder at Scott and sighs. “Anywhere but here,” he says. “Follow me.” He doesn’t even wait for Scott to respond, just takes off.

Scott finally catches up to Derek and pulls him to a stop. They’re near the Preserve, near a park known only to locals. “If you’re not stalking her, then what are you doing?” he asks.

Derek’s face is pinched, like he’d rather do anything than answer him. “It’s about- “ The wind changes, and Derek’s frown deepens.

Scott catches the scent too. “That’s... Lydia,” he says, walking in the direction of the scent. “Come on, you can tell her all about your stalking.”

“I’m not stalking Lydia!” Derek protests, but follows Scott through the park. “I’m watching her.”

“Why?” Scott asks as he keeps walking. “And what’s that scent? It’s Lydia and...Jackson and…” Scott comes to a clearing and stops so abruptly, Derek runs smack into his back. “Stiles!?”

Stiles, Lydia, and Jackson are sitting on a plush blanket in the clearing, sharing kisses. Stiles has got a hand just under Lydia’s skirt, and Jackson’s got a hand under Stiles’ shirt and... 

“What the hell?” Scott asks in shock.

“Isn’t it awesome!” Stiles exclaims as he jumps up and races across the clearing, jostling Jackson and Lydia in the process. “I mean, I totally didn’t expect it, but the three of us?” Stiles gestures back to Lydia and Jackson, who are straightening their clothes and staring at Scott and Derek. “Triad, man.”

Scott’s brow furrows, and he shakes his head. “What?”

“Triad.” Stiles says with a smug grin. “What are you and Broody doing here?”

“Looking for Lydia,” Scott responds.

“Found me, obviously,” Lydia speaks up, standing and brushing invisible lint off her skirt. “Why?”

“Derek’s been stalking you,” Scott tells her, glancing back at Derek that make a sour face at his words.

“I have not been stalking Lydia,” Derek disagrees. “We’ve been...watching her.”

“What’s the difference?” Stiles asks, crossing his arms and eyeing Derek suspiciously as Jackson mutters, “Stalker.”

“Stalking implies nefarious purposes, while watching implies protection,” he answers, ignoring Stiles’ glare and Jackson’s muttering.

“Protection from what?” Lydia questions.

Derek glances around and realizes that he can’t keep it a secret any longer. “Protection from Peter.”

“Peter.” Scott frowns at Derek. “You mean your crazy werewolf uncle who’s dead and buried?”

“Werewolf?” Lydia murmurs, as if she can’t believe the word has come up.

“And apparently trying to use Lydia to return,” Derek says, ignoring Lydia. “Allison came to me and told me about your visions.”

“What visions?” Jackson asks, moving to stand next to Lydia.

“Nothing,” Lydia replies. “Bad dreams.”

“No,” Derek counters. “They’re not. Peter’s trying to come back, and he’s trying to use you to do it.”

Lydia sighs and beckons Stiles back over to where she and Jackson are standing. “Boys,” she murmurs. “Why don’t you two go back to Jackson’s house. I’ll be there in a little bit and you two can get started without me, okay?”

Jackson frowns. “You know you’re the buffer,” he mutters.

“You have your own ways of keeping him in line,” Lydia replies, kissing Jackson sweetly.

“Right here,” Stiles grumbles.

“I know,” Lydia says, giving Stiles a kiss. “Go on, I’ll be there later.”

Scott is still frowning as Jackson and Stiles walk past him, one of Stiles’ hands shoved into Jackson’s back pockets. 

“I’ll call you later, man,” Stiles promises as he walks by. “Tell you the whole story.”

Once Stiles and Jackson are gone, Derek sighs. “I cannot have Peter coming back,” he tells Lydia.

“Well, the idea of some creep using me to come back to life is not my idea of a good time,” Lydia answers glibly. “I’m willing to go with this as long as I get told everything. I mean, werewolves?”

“After we get rid of Peter, I’ll tell you everything,” Derek agrees. “But we gotta get rid of Peter.”

“We should go see Deaton,” Scott suggests.

“The vet?” Lydia questions with a frown marring her pretty face.

“He’s more than that,” Derek answers. “He’s a Druid, and he was my mother’s emissary.”

“He was?” Scott frowns at Derek. “I didn’t know that.”

“You don’t know a lot of things about me,” Derek replies.

“Can we please go see this vet emissary person and get the deranged werewolf out of my head?” Lydia asks, sounding a mixture of impatient and a little frightened. “And then explain everything to me? Because the idea that I’m being used and I don’t even know what’s going on is unsettling.”

“We’ll go see Deaton,” Derek says. 

“Um... We ran here,” Scott points out, toeing the ground with his sneaker.

“So? You two are apparently both _werewolves_ ,” Lydia stresses. “You can run to Deaton’s. Don’t worry about me, I know the way.” She grabs the blanket off the ground and stomps off in the direction of her car, leaving Derek and Scott still standing in the park.

* * *

“Very interesting,” Deaton says as he walks in a slow circle around Lydia.

“I am,” she agrees. “Can you fix whatever’s wrong with me?”

Deaton stops in front of Lydia and looks down at her. “I believe so, yes,” he replies.

“Care to explain exactly what is wrong with her?” Allison asks worriedly. She had hurried over the second she’d gotten a call from Lydia telling her to meet her at the vet’s office. She stands opposite Scott and Derek, watching Deaton carefully.

“Well, it appears that when Peter bit her on the lacrosse field, a part of him managed to latch hold, to infiltrate her system,” Deaton explains.

“Like a horcrux,” Derek remarks. When everyone turns to look at him, he shrugs. “I read.”

“Like a horcrux, yes,” Deaton agrees. “A part of Peter is inside Lydia, trying to use her to be brought back.”

“Ew,” Scott says, making a face. “But you can fix it? Make Peter go away?”

“I can,” Deaton says. “It’s a fairly simple process; not fun, but fairly simple.”

“I don’t have to die and then come back to life, do I?” Lydia questions. “I’ve read the Harry Potter books too; I know what happens.”

Deaton tries to cover his laugh with a cough and fails, earning a glare from Lydia. “No, you don’t have to die,” he divulges. “I just need to combine a few herbs, which I’ll then steep and have you drink.”

“A cup of tea?” Allison asks skeptically. “A simple cup of tea.”

“It is by no means simple,” Deaton tells her, going over to one of the cupboards and pulling out a mortar, pestle, and a large selection of herbs. “It’s a very delicate balance of herbs specifically tasked to removing the intrusion from Miss Martin.”

Lydia sighs and leans against the examination table and glances over at Allison. “You doing okay?” she asks her best friend.

“I’m not the one with a part of Peter Hale inside me,” Allison answers tersely.

“No, but you’re dealing with your own drama,” Lydia retorts.

Allison sighs and moves to lean against the table next to her friend. “Mom and Dad are tense,” she says. “Gerard’s being quiet...too quiet.”

“No word from him at all?” Scott pipes up from his spot next to Derek. 

Allison shakes her head. “Not a peep,” she replies quietly. 

“That sounds...ominous,” Derek mutters.

Allison shrugs, trying to pretend it’s not bothering her too. “I keep eavesdropping but nothing yet,” she tells them.

“And here we go,” Deaton says, crossing the room and handing Lydia a large mug of steaming tea. “Now, before you start drinking, I’m going to suggest you put yourself near a sink.”

Lydia scrunches her nose as she heads for the sink. “Going to be that bad?” 

“It certainly won’t be pleasant.”

Allison moves to stand by Lydia, ready to catch her or hold her hair back, whatever needs to be done.

Lydia sniffs the contents of mug curiously, before making another face. “Smells like feet,” she comments, before downing its contents in four big swallows. It didn’t take long for her body to react and she was suddenly hunched over the sink, throwing up thick, black liquid.

Allison immediately pulls Lydia’s hair back, arm under Lydia’s to keep her upright. Scott rushes to her other side, helping to hold Lydia up as she kept throwing up.

It seems like she throws up for hours, but it’s really only a minute or so. When she’s finally done, she sags against Allison, completely spent. 

“She’ll be quite tired,” Deaton speaks up. “It’d be best for her to rest now.”

“I came in my own car. I’ll bring her home,” Allison offers.

Scott nods. “And I can follow you driving her car,” he adds.

“Want to go home,” Lydia mumbles. “Take me to Jackson ‘n Stiles.”

Allison bites her lip, hesitant. “I guess we can do that,” she replies. “Just...don’t ding her car, she’ll kill you.”

“I’m a safe driver,” Scott protests. “I won’t hurt her car.”

Allison sighs softly. “I know,” she tells him. “Help me get her out to my car and then you can follow.” She glances over to Deaton. “You’re sure this fixed everything?”

“I’m sure that Peter Hale will no longer be using Miss Martin to try to come back,” Deaton answers with a nod.

“Good,” Allison says. “Scott, let’s go.” Once Scott’s got Lydia in his arms and is walking out, Allison spares a quick glance over her shoulder at Derek before leaving.

“You promise he’s gone?” Derek asks once the teens are gone and out of earshot.

“Peter Hale will no longer try to use Miss Martin to come back,” Deaton promises.

Derek sighs and rubs his face. “Thank you,” he whispers.

“Onto our next issue, then,” Deaton continues.

Derek looks at Deaton suspiciously. “What next issue?”

“Mr. McCall and Miss Argent.” Deaton leans back against the counter and crosses his arms.

“What about them?”

“Are you purposely being obtuse?” Deaton questions, fixing Derek with a pointed look. “Or have you honestly not felt it? Mr. McCall and Miss Argent probably haven’t realized due to teenage hormones but... They’re going to realize eventually.”

Derek shoves his hands into the pockets of his jeans. “I’ll deal with it then,” he decides.

“Mmmhmm,” Deaton hums. “You’d better. Because this isn’t just going to go away. It needs to be dealt with or things could spiral out of control.”

“I know,” Derek agrees reluctantly. “I’ll deal with it.”

* * * 

It’s late and Allison can’t sleep, which unfortunately has been a common occurrence. She sits in the windowsill, her knees pulled to her chest, hating the fact that she can’t get her mind to stop working. She keeps replaying the last few weeks over in her mind, Kate, Gerard, Derek adding to his pack, Peter, Lydia and her finding her Triad. It’s a lot to take in.

She jumps a bit when she glances down at the lawn and spies Derek standing there.

“What are you doing?” she hisses.

“I have something to give you,” Derek replies.

Allison frowns, but steps away from the window, flinching when Derek appears in her room moments later.

“Where are your parents?” Derek stands very close to the window, ready to jump at a moment’s notice.

“Sleeping,” Allison mutters. “Which is what I wish I was currently doing.”

“Did I wake you? I can go -”

“No,” Allison interrupts. “You didn’t wake me. I couldn’t sleep. You said you had something to give me?”

Derek reaches behind him and pulls a book from under the back of his shirt. “Here,” he says, handing a small leatherbound book to Allison.

“What is it?” Allison asks hesitantly, but reaches for the book.

“A book that’s been in my family,” Derek explains. “I figure there are some things in there that aren’t in the Bestiary.”

“Why...why are you giving this to me?”

“You have better use for it than I do,” Derek answers. “Just keep it away from your parents.”

“Obviously,” Allison says, rolling her eyes and cautiously opening the book. “Woah. There are things in here - these exist!?”

Derek cracks a small smile and nods. “Don’t ever piss off a bonnacon,” he says. “One of my cousins got on the wrong side of one and had to take four scalding hot showers to get all the acidic shit off him.”

Allison tries to bite back the laugh, she really does, but can’t. She drops down on her bed and laughs until her sides hurt. When she sits back up, she notices that Derek is smiling - not a smirk or a half-smile, but a real full blown smile.

“You should do that more often.” Allison closes the book and drops it on her bed. “Smile, I mean.”

“Haven’t had much to smile about.” Derek shrugs and moves over to the window. “You really should try to sleep. School and all that.”

“I’ll do my best,” Allison replies. “So, thanks for the book.”

Derek swings a leg over the windowsill and glances at Allison over his shoulder. “You’re welcome.” He jumps out the window and lands gracefully on the grass.

Allison moves to the window and watches Derek disappear into the night before flopping down on her bed and cracking the book open again, reading about bonnacons, leshi and other creatures she was sure even her parents didn’t know about.

* * * 

Scott hasn’t been able to get a hold of Stiles all weekend. So, on Monday morning he resigns himself to getting up a bit earlier than usual and running to school. He throws his backpack on and heads outside only to find Derek waiting for him outside, leaning against his Camaro.

“What are you doing here?” Scott frowns as he descends the porch steps and approaches Derek.

“Was in the neighborhood and thought you might need a ride to school,” Derek replies. He reaches back into the passenger seat and pulls out a little wrapped package. “Bacon sausage breakfast sandwich?”

Scott reaches for the breakfast sandwich, breathing in the scent. “What do you want?” he asks suspiciously.

“Nothing,” Derek says. “Just thought I’d give you a ride to school. I mean, you can always run to school if you want.”

“Well, you’re here.” Scott takes a bite of the breakfast sandwich and hums happily.

“Hop on in.” Derek opens the passenger door of the car for Scott.

“Chivalrous,” Scott teases as he climbs in.

Derek waits until Scott’s buckled in before heading towards the school. “You gonna need a ride after school?” he asks after a few minutes.

Scott shrugs. “Probably not,” he replies. “I’m sure Stiles can give me a lift home.”

“If you’re sure.” Derek pulls up in front of the school and turns to look at Scott.

“Yeah, I’m good,” Scott says. Once the car stops, he slides out and gently closes the passenger door. “Um, thanks man. For the lift, and all.”

“Not a problem,” Derek replies. “I’ll see you later.”

“Yep, see you around.” Scott gives Derek a wave before jogging towards the school and catching Stiles on the steps. 

Derek watches Scott for a few moments before pulling away.

“Hey, you didn’t answer your phone all weekend,” Scott greets, frowning at his friend.

“Sorry, Dad was working doubles, so I stayed at Jackson’s and then my phone died,” Stiles explains. “Did you need a ride?”

“Well, yeah,” Scott says. “But it doesn’t matter, Derek showed up and gave me a ride to school.”

“Derek,” Stiles says slowly. 

“Yeah, Derek. He was just waiting outside my house this morning when I left to walk here.” Scott shrugs. “What are you wearing?” Scott asks when he finally notices what his friend is wearing.

“Clothes,” Stiles replies, purposely avoiding Scott’s meaning.

Scott stares at Stiles - he’s wearing tight, dark wash jeans and a light blue v-neck with a khaki cargo jacket. “Not your normal clothes,” he mutters.

“They are now, apparently,” Stiles says with a shrug. “Lydia and Jackson took me shopping yesterday.”

“Where did your clothes go?” Scott asks, frowning.

“Lydia and Jackson threw most of them out,” Stiles replies, shrugging again.

“Stiles! You had some of my clothes! Where are they?”

“In a bag in the back of my Jeep,” Stiles says, grinning wide at his friend. “I even made sure that your red hoodie got in there.”

“Good. How’s Lydia feeling, anyway?” Scott asks.

“Better after whatever crap Deaton made her drink,” Stiles says.

“Okay, so you gotta explain this all to me.” Scott tugs Stiles into the school and finds an empty classroom, pushing Stiles in and closing the door behind them.

“Not much to explain,” Stiles replies as he sits on the teacher’s desk. “Jackson, Lydia and I are a Triad. Found out a couple of weeks ago.”

“And you didn’t tell me?” Scott says.

“They pressured me into keeping it quiet.” Stiles fiddles with the buttons on his jacket. “I wanted to tell you, dude. Seriously.”

“What was the reaction like from their parents?” Scott asks. “I mean…”

“Jackson’s parents kinda despise me,” Stiles mumbles. “But they can’t deny the bond, so that’s good. It also helps that I’m the Sheriff’s son. Son of a high up official is a plus to them.”

“And Lydia’s folks?” Scott asks.

“Her dad doesn’t care,” Stiles replies. “But her mom likes me.”

“That’s good,” Scott says.

“So, explain to me again why you were hanging out with Derek,” Stiles says, poking his friend in the shoulder. 

“Allison went to him when she realized something was wrong with Lydia,” Scott tells him. “I caught them both here at the school last week and called them on it, but they both lied. So, I asked Allison about it later. She circled around the subject but said she and Derek were watching Lydia. So, I went on Saturday to confront Derek, see if he would give me more answers.”

“Which is when you and Derek found me, Lydia and Jackson,” Stiles surmises.

“Right,” Scott says. “And apparently, at least according to to Derek, Peter was trying to use Lydia to come back to life.”

“I guess he’d know?” Stiles replies.

“Yeah, guess so,” Scott says. “Anyway, after she made you and Jackson leave, we went to Deaton’s so he could see what was going on. And Lydia wanted Allison there, so she called Allison to meet us there. Then Deaton made her drink some super stinky tea that made her throw up, which completely wiped her out, so Allison took her home, and I dropped Lydia’s car off.”

“You guys were there for a while,” Stiles says. “Lydia didn’t get back till late, and when she did, she was super cranky. No fun times.”

“Don’t need to know,” Scott says.

“Whatever, man,” Stiles say good-naturedly, hopping of the desk and heading for the door. “So, I can totally give you a ride home today after school. That is, unless Derek’s there to give you a ride home.” He flutters his eyelashes teasingly at Scott.

“Shut up,” Scott replies, shoving a laughing Stiles out into the hallway.

* * *

“You know, we should probably be studying,” Allison begins, but trails off when Lydia raises an eyebrow and shuts Allison’s history book for her.

“Please, our GPAs can take a little less studying. I know you. Go ahead and ask your questions,” Lydia tells her as she slides all of Allison’s studying materials away from her.

Allison breathes in deeply and sighs. “Okay, how’re you feeling after that whole ordeal at Deaton’s?”

Lydia purses her lips. “Not what you wanted to ask, but I’ll answer your lead in question,” she replies. “Better without the nightmares and hallucinations, but still reeling from everything...else.”

Allison knows Lydia’s emphasis on else is about the supernatural she had been in the dark about before coming to light. “I’m sorry about that,” she murmurs. “I wasn’t sure how to tell you about all of it, and well, it seemed safer to not tell you when everything was so crazy.”

“I’m not letting you slide on that, Allison, because I should have known about everything, but I know what you really want to ask. You’ve asked if I’m okay. Go on.”

“So how did you and … Jackson and Stiles happen?” Allison asks, meaning to ask in a more subtle way, but Lydia effectively nixed that plan. “Last I knew, you and Jackson were broken up, and Stiles wasn’t even on either of your radars.”

“Right on both accounts,” Lydia says with a sigh. “A couple of weeks ago, Jackson and Stiles were being extra snarky to each other during Econ, UST I guess. Coach gave them both detention.”

“Okay,” Allison says. “Where do you come into all of this?”

“I’m getting there,” Lydia replies. “Anyway, I was staying late and needed a book I knew the library didn’t have. So I headed to Coach’s classroom to get the book and … “

“And?” Allison presses.

“And I found Jackson and Stiles making out against the lockers right outside Coach’s classroom,” Lydia replies.”Finally succumbing to the UST, I guess. Or the Triad pull.”

“And you just watched?” Allison asks.

“Hell no, I joined in,” Lydia says with an elegant flip of her hair. “It was almost as though it was … important, that I join in.”

“So Stiles’ recent fashion choices,” Allison says with a grin. “The bond or you?”

Lydia laughs. “Me and Jackson,” she says. “We took him shopping. Then Jackson threw out most of his other clothes.”

“So…” Allison bites her lip and hesitates.

“Ask,” Lydia prompts. “You know you want to.”

“What’s it like?” Allison whispers. 

“I can’t…” Lydia hums and taps her pen on her book. “It’s hard to explain. I don’t even know if I can describe it. I mean, I can’t stand Stiles and Jackson and I broke up but … I don’t know. We bicker all the time, and Stiles can’t stop running his mouth, but there are brief moments when we all just come together…”

“Okay, I don’t need to hear the coming together part,” Allison interrupts. 

“But it’s so much fun,” Lydia replies with a wink. She sobers and shrugs. “It still feels like the universe is playing a prank.”

“Because it’s Stiles?” Allison asks.

“Because it’s Stiles and Jackson,” Lydia replies. “Two people who I didn’t even want to be around. And now every time the three of us are in the same vicinity…”

“Got it,” Allison butts in again. “Don’t need the visual, really.”

“But we have so much fun,” Lydia teases. “Don’t worry, you’ll discover it for yourself when you get your own Triad.”

Allison’s quiet for a couple of minutes. She’s read so much, seen so much about Triads, but she’s so cynical about it all. She knows that there are even parties where groups of people get together, hoping against hope to find their Triad there. Stories about three strangers meeting while all on vacation in some remote location always harken back to the romantic in her, but deep down, she’s still really unsure about the whole Triad thing.

“Yeah,” Allison says, giving Lydia a little smile. “So, I noticed you three all drove here separately.”

“We’re not ready for everyone to know,” Lydia says. “Although people will realize something’s different just because of how Stiles is dressing.”

“Well yeah,” Allison replies. “There’s not a graphic tee or flannel in sight.”

“Isn’t it glorious?” Lydia says happily.

Allison giggles and nods. “It’s definitely different,” she says. “I’m glad you’re feeling better, by the way.”

“Honestly, it feels like a weight’s been lifted,” Lydia says. “Like I can focus on more important things.”

“Like the history test tomorrow?” Allison teases.

Lydia delicately snorts and grins. “No, like the sale at the mall.”

* * * 

It’s late at night when Scott’s phone starts ringing. He rolls over and grabs the phone, almost falling out of bed. “‘lo?” he says.

“Scott, Scott! I need you to come pick me up!”

“Stiles?” Scott rubs his eyes and sits up in bed.

“Yeah, dude, you need to come get me. I’m at the body shop,” Stiles says.

“Why are you there so late?”

“Because I was going to threaten them with legal action if they didn’t fix Roscoe,” Stiles replies. “Anyway, please come get me?”

“Dude, unless you want to ride on my handlebars, I’m gonna have to find a ride to come get you,” Scott says.

“I could ride on your handlebars,” Stiles says.

“Not for ten miles,” Scott says. “Let me see what I can do and I’ll be there soon.”

“Not going anywhere,” Stiles replies.

Scott hangs up and rolls out of bed, tugging on a hoodie and staring at his phone. He doesn’t want to bother Allison - her recent texts seem to indicate that her parents are a little more aware of her presence so he doesn’t get to see her as often as he’d like. So, he stares at his phone, looks through the few contacts that are there, sighs and calls Derek.

“Scott,” Derek says.

“So, I know I’m probably the last person you want to talk to right now,” Scott starts.

“What do you need,” Derek interrupts.

“A ride?” Scott asks hopefully. “Stiles just called from the auto body shop and he’s stuck there and -”

“I’ll be there in a few.”

Scott stares at his phone after Derek abruptly hangs up. “Huh,” he says. “Didn’t think he’d actually do it.” He tugs on a pair of sweats and sneakers before going downstairs to wait for Derek.

He hears the Camaro turn onto his street and steps out onto the porch just as Derek pulls to a stop in front of the house. He runs down the steps and across the lawn, sliding into the passenger seat of Derek’s car. “He’s at the auto body shop on Beeker,” he explains. “And… thanks.”

Derek shrugs, keeping his eyes firmly on the road. “Needed to get out anyway.”

He leaves it at that, and Scott doesn’t press. When they get to the body shop, they find Stiles waiting outside.

“Dude, you brought him?” Stiles asks incredulously.

“Hey, you needed a ride,” Scott replies. “I brought a ride.”

“Sure, you get to bring your boyfriend,” Stiles mutters.

“What?” Scott squeaks. “No. Not even - no! Allison’s parents are being hyper vigilant right now, so I couldn’t call her. So I called Derek.”

“Whatever,” Stiles says. “Roscoe’s totally wrecked; the kanima trashed it.”

“Wait, the kanima was here?” Derek interrupts, eyes narrowed.

“Yeah,” Stiles replies. “Was probably here before me. I got here and went looking for someone to yell at about Roscoe. I touched the door handle, which had a bunch of goop on it, next thing I know I’m laying flat on the ground, paralyzed.”

“And the kanima didn’t attack you? I’m shocked,” Derek says blandly.

“Derek,” Scott warns.

Derek just shrugs and motions for Stiles to continue his story.

“So, I’m laying there and I can totally hear that thing moving around, totally trashing my car,” Stiles laments. “I don’t know where the dude who was working here went, probably saw the thing and went running so the kanima took it out on my car. I was only able to start moving again right before I called you.”

“Sucks,” Scott says. “And you’re sure the kanima didn’t hurt you at all?”

Stiles shakes his head. “Nope,” he says, popping the ‘p’. “Did a full body check once I could move again. But... it crouched down and looked at me. Like... stared at me, for a long time.”

“Weird,” Scott points out.

“Wanna know what’s weirder?” Stiles tells him. “It felt like I knew it... and that it knew me.”

“You probably do know the kanima in its human form,” Derek states. “It’s probably someone in town.”

“No, it was more than just casual recognition,” Stiles protests. “Whatever, can we just go?”

“Please,” Derek agrees, leading the teenagers towards the Camaro.

“Hey, how’s Allison doing?” Stiles asks as they head to Derek’s car.

Scott shrugs. “Gerard’s not back, but Allison heard her folks talking about the killing of some Alpha werewolf named Deucalion, some dude who was trying to recruit other Alphas and make some sort of Alpha pack,” he explains. “But they’re keeping a close eye on her right now, so I really only get to see her during school.”

“She’s not sleeping well,” Derek mutters.

“What?” Stiles and Scott say in unison.

Derek walks around to the driver’s side of the car. “I patrol my territory every night,” he replies casually. “Usually in the middle of the night, when everyone’s asleep. She hasn’t been recently.”

“Okay,” Scott says slowly as he climbs into the car, making Stiles sit in the backseat.

“Do you have the car tomorrow?” Stiles asks Scott as he buckles in.

“Nope, Mom’s got it.”

“Shit, how am I gonna get to school?” Stiles groans and rubs his face.

“Call Jackson or Lydia and ask them,” Scott says. 

“Maybe,” Stiles mumbles.

The rest of the ride is filled with other mindless chatter from Scott and Stiles while Derek just listens. Once Derek drops Stiles off, Scott turns to face him. “Thanks,” he says.

“For what?” Derek asks.

“Checking on Allison,” Scott replies. 

Derek shrugs it off and keeps driving until he comes to a stop outside Scott’s house. “I check on you too,” he says quietly. “And I don’t know why I just admitted that.”

“You check on me?” Scott questions, unable to keep his lips from smiling a little. “I can take care of myself, though.”

“I know you can,” Derek agrees quietly.

“Okay. So long as you know that.” Scott wasn’t quite sure what he was hearing in Derek’s tone, or the scents that were coming off him.

“I’ll talk to you later,” Derek says. “I can be here tomorrow if you need a ride to school.”

“Allison offered to give me a ride tomorrow,” Scott replies as he climbs out of the car.

“Oh… okay.” Derek almost sounds dejected, and Scott’s sure he’s just hearing things. “I’ll see you around, then.”

“Thanks for the ride, man!” Scott exclaims, leaning into the open window and giving Derek a bright smile. “I really appreciate it.” He gave Derek a wave before making his way inside.

“No problem,” Derek says softly as he watches Scott walk away, Deaton’s warning ringing in his head.

* * * 

The next few weeks pass quietly, for the most part. Allison and Scott found times and places to ‘hang out’. Boyd, Erica and Isaac made sure to let _everyone_ know they were Triad, which led to a few detentions. About a week after the incident at the bodyshop, Stiles shows up at school driving a brand new Chevy Equinox, and parks right next to Jackson. The SUV is a gift from Jackson and Lydia to Stiles, and it’s a clear sign that Stiles is a part of a Triad. It doesn’t take the students long to realize that Stiles’ Triad partners are Lydia and Jackson.

During lunch one day, while Scott and Allison are sitting at a table near the back, watching Erica, Boyd and Isaac work towards getting their fourth detention for PDA, Stiles joins them at the table, with Lydia and Jackson in tow.

Scott takes a moment to look at them, _really_ look at them. “You guys look...different,” he comments.

“Really happy,” Allison adds.

“We embraced the Triad bond,” Lydia explains. “Kind of had to... in order to save Jackson.”

“Save... Jackson?” Scott questions with a confused frown.

“I was the kanima.” Jackson shrugs and sips his blended juice drink.

“Was...?” Scott trails off in shock.

“Now, he’s a real boy,” Stiles finishes, earning a smack to the back of the head from Lydia, who quickly smoothed down his hair.

“Werewolf,” Jackson says, leveling an exasperated look Stiles’ way; it seems he’s heard the ‘real boy’ remark before today. “Now I’m a werewolf. And it was all thanks to Stiles and Lydia.”

Allison looks between the three, feeling a bit lost. “When did all this happen?” Scott asks when he notices Allison at a loss for words..

“This past weekend, when you and Allison were ‘reconnecting’,” Stiles says, complete with air quotes. “The three of us were enjoying some fun times, but I woke up Saturday morning to find Jackson’s side of the bed cold. I woke Lydia up and we went searching for him - and found him, or rather kanima him, at the local junkyard, taking out his frustrations on my Roscoe.”

“And he went for Stiles,” Lydia continues where Stiles leaves off. “I screeched, and he stopped.”

“Her vocal cords are epic,” Stiles adds with a nod and fond smile.

“Don’t need to know,” Scott says to himself. “How did you guys get rid of the kanima?”

“Well,” Lydia starts, “the thought of losing him scared both of us and seemed to make us realize-”

“We expressed our undying love for the asshole and poof, he was fixed,” Stiles interrupts with a hand flourish, and Lydia rolls her eyes fondly.

“Eloquent as always,” Jackson says, but leans in and pressed a kiss to Stiles’ temple.

Allison and Scott share a look - it’s so strange to see them all being cordial, much less loving, with each other.

Another questions springs to Scott’s mind. “So, are you joining Derek’s pack?”

“Already went and saw him this weekend,” Jackson replies. “I mean, he’s the Alpha who bit me, only makes sense I join his pack. He even agreed to put Stiles and Lydia under his protection.”

“Wow,” Allison murmurs. “I...didn’t expect that.”

“They’re my Triad,” Jackson points out. “He’d be an idiot not to protect them, too.”

“He’s not an idiot,” Scott says defensively.

“Of course he’s not,” Allison agrees on impulse.

“You two co-presidents of the Derek Hale Fan Club?” Jackson snarks, earning an elbow to the stomach from Stiles.

“Hey, he’s actually not a bad guy,” Stiles says. “He’s been giving Scott rides to school when I can’t.”

“Interesting,” Lydia comments. “Oh! I totally forgot, my birthday is in a couple of weeks-”

“Like you’d forget your own birthday,” Stiles interrupts.

Lydia glares at him but continues. “And I’m having a big party, to which you two are invited, of course.”

“Thanks,” Allison says. “I’ll definitely be there.”

“Me too,” Scott adds. “Wouldn’t miss it.”

“Wonderful,” Lydia says. “If you don’t know what to get me, a Macy’s gift card wouldn’t go amiss.”

The bell rang, signalling the end of lunch, and everyone stands and starts picking up their trash and bags, making their way out to the hall. Stiles, Lydia and Jackson split up and head to their classes, but Scott sticks behind, shuffling his feet a bit as he looks at Allison.

“So-” Scott starts.

“Hey, Allison.”

Allison turns to look at the owner of the voice who interrupted Scott. “Hello, Matt,” she greets.

Matt Daehler, resident photographer and all around creeper extraordinaire, gives Allison a smile. “I just saw you here and wanted to say hi,” he says, completely ignoring Scott. “I also have some photos I think you’d be interested in, if you want to meet after school and look at them.”

“Sorry, Matt, but I have plans,” Allison says, keeping her tone light. “Maybe some other time.”

“Sure, all right, I’ll hit you up later,” Matt says, giving her another smile before disappearing into the crowds of students.

“Weird,” Scott mutters, eyes fixed on the hall Matt walked down, if only for a long moment. “Anyway, are you actually busy after school? I kind of need to talk to you about something.”

“I just told Matt I was busy to get him to leave me alone,” Allison replies coyly, taking Scott’s hand into hers. “Is there anything wrong?”

“Wrong?” Scott repeats, curling his fingers around Allison’s. “Well... not really? Let’s just meet after school so we can talk, okay? It’s too much to go over right now.”

“All right,” Allison says slowly. “We can meet in the quad after school.”

“I’ll be there,” Scott replies, pressing a quick kiss to Allison’s cheek, squeezing her hand before letting go and sprinting off to class.

Allison grins a bit as she goes off to her own class, trying not to worry about what Scott wants to talk about. She tries not to think about it during the rest of her classes and makes her way to the quad where she sees Scott already waiting for her.

“Okay,” Allison says, sitting down next to Scott. “What’s so important?”

“So, I was at Deaton’s yesterday after school and...” Scott hesitates.

“What?” Allison asks.

“He made a comment,” Scott tells her. “About me finally finding my Triad.”

“You found your Triad?” Allison leans in closer. “Who? Am I...?” Even though she still doesn’t really believe in Triads, she can’t help but hope she’s part of Scott’s.

Scott blushes a bit and nods. “I guess? Deaton made a mention of being careful about getting caught, that having someone older in a Triad is tremulous until everyone’s the age of consent.”

“Wait, our third is ...older?” Allison says, frowning. “Who is... it’s not Deaton is it?”

 

“Deat - no, no!” Scott makes a pained face and shakes his head. “No, Deaton says, well he mentioned... Derek.”

Allison’s silent for a few minutes. “We need to go talk to him,” she states calmly. “Right now.”

“Right... no!” Scott looks flustered for a moment. “Not right now.”

“I bet you anything he knows,” Allison says pointedly. “So why not right now?”

“Because if we ask him head on, he’ll avoid the situation completely,” Scott replies truthfully. 

Allison hesitates. “Fine, we’ll wait,” she agrees. “But only until Lydia’s birthday party. He has to know by then - we’ll tell him at the party if we have to.”

“Fun.” Scott rubs his face but nods. “But fine. Deal.”

* * * 

The weeks between Scott and Allison’s discussion and Lydia’s birthday party are a bit tense, to say the least. Everytime Allison sees Derek, she thinks about what Scott had said, but she can’t seem to figure out how to broach the subject with Derek. Not to mention she’s not around Scott and they’d promised to confront Derek together.

School’s a pain and Allison feels like she’s under a microscope because it feels like everywhere she turns, Matt’s there. With his camera.

And just when Allison thinks her life can’t get any more stressful, she comes downstairs one night to find her parents, Scott and Mrs. McCall all in the dining room. And so goes the most awkward family dinner Allison’s ever suffered through.

“I didn’t know your mom was my folk’s third,” Allison says after dinner while they’re washing dishes.

“Me neither,” Scott replies. “Mom never said anything.”

“Neither did Mom and Dad.” Allison takes a plate from Scott and dries it. “But then again, they’ve kept a lot from me.”

“And we’re keeping things from them,” Scott adds as he continues to wash dishes. “We have to tell them too. About Derek.”

“We need to talk to Derek first,” Allison counters.

“I’ve seen him a couple times,” Scott admits. “But I didn’t talk about it.”

“Same,” Allison replies. “But we have to. It’s important.”

“I know.” Scott sighs and passes Allison another dish. “And Lydia’s birthday party is next weekend. Our self imposed deadline is coming up.”

“Yeah.” Allison finishes drying the dishes and drops the dishtowel on the counter. “But we can’t do anything tonight. Wanna go up to my room for a bit?”

Scott gives Allison a dopey grin and nods. “Yeah!” he agrees enthusiastically.

* * * 

Allison doesn’t want to abandon her best friend at her sweet sixteen birthday party, but seeing her with Stiles and Jackson makes something in her chest just ache. She doesn’t get _why_ ; she and Scott are better than ever. It’s just a feeling of something just missing, lately. She never noticed before, and it must be the knowledge that they have a third, that it’s Derek, that’s creating that ache.

Sometimes, the feeling of a missing piece subsides, and Allison’s starting to think that her and Scott should just confront Derek already. He has to feel the way they do, like something’s just missing. They’ve already made it past the point of no return; they’re connected, even if only if its the beginning of the bond. That would be the only reason she could feel like this. She thinks Scott’s been feeling it too but doesn’t want to bring it up when they haven’t found a way to confront Derek.

Lost in her thoughts, Allison doesn’t even notice the hand shoot out from a seemingly vacant guest room to pull her inside. She stumbles in shock before getting her footing and twists the arm of the person holding her.

“Ow, could you let go?” Matt asks in pain.

Allison lets go immediately, but she’s unsure of the situation. “What are you doing alone this far from the party?”

Matt chuckles. “Could ask you the same thing, Allison.”

“This is my best friend’s house. I’m allowed, but random party guests aren’t,” she warns. “Go back to the party, grab some punch, mingle. It’s a Lydia Martin party.”

“Not really my kind of party,” he replies, not taking his eyes off Allison. “I wanted to show you something…”

A different feeling of unease fills her stomach. “What?” she questions carefully.

Matt takes out his camera with a grin, then shows her the photos of her. Many of them are ones she didn’t even know about, and Allison feels like she might be sick. Matt doesn’t seem fazed by her unease.

“They’re called candids,” he tells her.

“Police call that stalking,” she replies truthfully, wishing she could smash his camera to pieces.

“You should see some of my other shots,” Matt said, voice low and dark.

“Am I supposed to be scared now?” Allison replies.

“C’mon, Allison-” Matt begins, grabbing her arm again.

That touch makes her want to shudder, but instead, she uses the leverage to unbalance him and drop him to the ground. He groans unhappily, looking at her like she did something wrong. Maybe she’d been a bit extreme, but Allison doesn’t care as she makes her escape.

Once back at the party, she finds Scott with a smile. “Hey,” Allison murmurs as she places a chaste kiss to his lips. “When did you get here?”

“Just now,” Scott replies, eyes darting to the ground. “I- uh... I might have a stalker tonight.”

Allison’s eyes narrow. “I’ve had to deal with one tonight. I’ll deal with yours too.”

Scott frowns. “What? No, it’s just Derek. He’s just too embarrassed to admit he wants to hang out with teenagers,” he tells her. “But who’s your stalker?”

“He’s dealt with,” Allison replies with a shrug. “I think he got the message.”

* * * 

Scott knows Derek’s skulking around, just outside of his periphery. Cornering him will be tricky, he knows, but Allison’s pulled him to dance floor to make a plan Derek _probably_ can’t overhear over the music. Allison leans in, as if to whisper something in Scott’s ear, and he’s ready to listen to her intently, but she just nips at his earlobe.

A small moan escapes his lips, and he slides his hands to Allison’s hips instinctively. She smiles against his cheek, dancing to the music against him. Scott catches onto her plan and shifts them, so he can kiss her full on the mouth. 

The plan’s a risky move that could go one of two ways with Derek. Their tentative beginnings of a bond Scott knows he and Allison both already feel with Derek should be mutual, so the feelings and arousal they’re stirring in each other right now plus visuals should be enough to get Derek to confront them to stop. ...or he could take it as if they don’t need him and just leave.

Scott has a feeling Derek might be leaning towards the second possibility, so when Allison starts to kiss his neck, Scott looks up to catch Derek’s eye. He’s finally somewhere Scott could catch him, since they had distracted him with their dancing. Derek looks frozen in shock, watching them, knowing Scott’s caught him staring. Scott smiles and flashes his gold, beta eyes at him, hoping it works with his attempt at a come hither look. It’s enough to get Derek to snap out of it and sigh.

_“Meet me by the gazebo.”_

“There’s a gazebo?” Scott mutters to himself as Derek disappears into the crowd, catching Allison’s attention.

She pulls away from Scott’s neck with a curious look. “Yeah. There’s another part of the garden, but it’s not open for the party. Lydia wanted to keep everyone by the pool. Why?”

“Derek wants to meet there,” he explains with a smile. “It worked.”

Allison grins back and takes Scott’s hand as she looks through the crowd for Lydia, finding her chatting up so guests by the punch bowl. “Let me tell the birthday girl not to worry if we don’t come back.”

“That’s really optimistic,” Scott points out, biting back a smile.

“Your optimism rubs off on me sometimes,” she replies cheekily, pressing a soft kiss to his lips. “I’ll be back there in a minute. Make sure Derek doesn’t run before I get there, okay?”

Scott nods, squeezing Allison’s hand before letting go and heading around the other side of house with the gazebo and a small, flower garden. Without Allison by his side, Scott starts to feel a bit nervous. He knows this talk with Derek is inevitable, but neither he nor Allison really knows how it will go. 

“Hey, Derek,” Scott greets when he sees him standing at the end of a path, in front of the gazebo.

Derek raises an eyebrow. “Where’s Allison?”

“Talking to Lydia. She’ll be here soon.”

“You both know,” Derek says, cutting to the chase.

Scott nods slowly. “Uh, yeah. Deaton-”

“Of course,” Derek mutters, fists clenched at his sides.

“-told me,” Scott finishes, ignoring Derek’s words. “We would have figured it out eventually, you know. Why not tell us? I know the Argents aren’t… Yeah, there’s bad blood there, but you’re on better terms with Allison. I know you don’t just see her as an Argent.”

“There’s a lot of reasons why I wouldn’t want to form a Triad with two high school kids, Scott.”

Scott bites back a harsh reply to just being reduced to a kid, but he knows that’d only prove Derek’s point. “You made a pack of all high schoolers,” he says with a pointed look.

Derek tenses. “I…” He shakes his head. “Not really my best plan, but I don’t regret turning any of them. Without the threat of Gerard Argent, they’re all doing well for themselves.”

“You don’t usually have great plans,” Scott agrees, earning a sour look from Derek. “But yeah, I don’t think your pack is a mistake, just like I don’t think _we’d_ be a mistake.”

“You’re a teenager. You don’t know better,” Derek tells him, sounding they’re words he’s heard before himself and didn’t heed.

“We should have a say in that, don’t you think?” Allison’s voice says from the other end of the path as she walks towards them.

Scott watches her, and he knows Derek’s eyes are locked on her too. He can feel them both in the tentative bond they have. Scott turns to Derek, about to agree with Allison when a shot rings out. His head snaps towards the sound only to see the shock of red blood spreading on across Allison’s stomach.

When Allison falls, he can’t even move to catch her, but Derek moves quicker than Scott’s ever seen him move. Derek reaches Allison in time to slide to the ground with her cradled in his arms. His shock wears off as his eyes snap to the smoking gun and the person holding it.

“If I can’t have her, no one can,” Matt tells them, eyes crazed as he aims the gun at Derek.

Something in Scott snaps, and he’s grabbing the gun, the shot goes wide and hits the gazebo. He tosses the gun aside, hand wrapped around Matt’s throat. As Scott lifts him off the ground, Matt’’s eyes go wide as he struggles in his grasp.

“Scott,” Derek’s voice calls to him. “Drop him. Allison needs you.”

The words keep Scott from digging his claws in, and instead, he drops Matt hard on the ground. It knocks him out, and Scott rushes over to where Allison lies in Derek’s arms, trembling and pale. His knees give out, and he takes Allison’s hand into his.

“A-allison,” he chokes out, siphoning off her pain, but doesn’t find much and notices Derek’s already taken some himself.

“It’s okay,” Allison says, even though both he and Derek can hear the lie. 

“You’re bleeding out in the middle of friend’s backyard. Okay is not the word for it,” Derek speaks up, quietly and sounding just as choked up as Scott. “You will be, though.”

Scott looks up at Derek with confusion marring his face. “How?”

Allison shudders in Derek’s arms. “D-don’t bite me,” she murmurs.

“But if it saves you-!” Scott protests.

“She wouldn’t survive the Bite right now,” Derek interrupts, “but...there’s something else I can do...through the bond.”

“You’re going to accept?” Scott questions with wide eyes.

Derek nods tersely. “I...you’re both so young. I was going to say to wait a few years, but that’s not an option anymore,” he explains.

“What are...going to do?” Allison asks, looking up at him.

“Let in the bond,” he says, looking between the two. “Just don’t fight it.”

Scott lets out a strained laugh. “We weren’t going to.”

Derek leans forward, brushing his lips against Scott’s. It sends a warm feeling through Scott’s body, but before he can really return the kiss at all, Derek’s pulled away. Scott watches as Derek leans down to press his lips to Allison’s.

The kiss doesn’t last long, but when it ends, Allison’s eyes wide as a jolt of warmth flows through her. Her eyes flash for a moment, a split second of red that makes Scott look at Derek. He’s in pain, red alpha eyes fading to a shocking electric blue before the fade back to hazel.

Allison groans, catching Scott’s attention back to her. She’s not bleeding anymore, and color is returning to her cheeks. Scott doesn’t feel anymore pain to pull from her, and he smiles.

“Derek, you did it,” he murmurs is awe.

Derek grunts as Allison sits up carefully. “Derek?”

Scott sees Derek slump before Allison does and catches him with his free arm before his weight can fall into Allison’s lap. He shares a look with Allison before Scott moves the can lay Derek more comfortably across their laps.

“Is he okay?” Allison asks as she puts the back of her hand against Derek’s forehead.

“His heartbeat just sounds like he’s asleep, but…” Scott trails off. “Allison, when he healed you, your eyes flashed red just as his faded into blue. I...don’t think he’s an alpha anymore.”

Allison frowns, moving her hand to press a soft kiss to Derek’s forehead. “He gave up that power for me…? For us?”

Scott nods. “Looks like it.”

“Scott! Where- Oh god, is that blood!?” Stiles’ voice calls out from the entrance to the garden. “Jackson, get your ass over here!”

Jackson appears behind him, eyes wide when he sees the blood and Derek passed out on the ground. “Is he…”

“No,” Scott and Allison reply in unison, then Scott continues. “He should be fine, but I don’t think lying on the ground is ground is going help. Stiles, help me bring him inside-”

Jackson scoffs. “He’s my alpha, I’ll do it. Stiles can’t lift shit.”

“Hey, shut up,” Stiles grouses.

“No, Jackson, you need to restrain Matt before he wakes up,” Scott states, gesturing to Matt who’s starting to regain consciousness.

“What? What the hell happened?” Jackson asks before pulling Matt up to his feet and gripping Matt’s arms tightly behind his back. “What did this little shit do?”

“Let me go!” Matt snarls.

Stiles rolls his eyes. “I knew he was no good,” he mutters.

“He shot me,” Allison speaks up, glaring at Matt. “I almost died.”

Matt stares at her as he thrashes. “You’re all freaks! That should have killed you!” He then glares up at Jackson. “This would have been easier if _you_ had stayed my puppet.”

Jackson eyes flash blue as he bares his teeth. “You were the kanima master?”

Before Jackson can do something stupid, Stiles walks in front of them and punches Matt in the face, knocking him out. “Son of a bitch!” Stiles curses as shakes the hand he punched Matt with.

“You’re an idiot,” Jackson mutters as he shifts to throw Matt over his shoulder in a fireman’s carry then grabs Stiles’ wrist. “Stop that and let me help.”

Stiles pauses his flailing and lets Jackson clumsily take his pain. “Thanks,” he mutters when the pain fades completely before pulling away to jog over to Scott. “I end up dragging his dead weight around way too much. You know that, right?”

Scott gives his best friend a half smile as he and Allison maneuver to pull Derek off the ground. “He saved Allison’s life tonight,” he says quietly as he gets a good grip around Derek’s waist.

“How?” Stiles asks, glancing over to Allison who has fallen in step with them, Jackson walking right behind them. “And let’s go this way. There’s a side door to get inside without going through the party.”

“He accepted our Triad bond and gave up his alpha powers to heal me,” Allison explains quietly.

“He did what?” Jackson asks incredulously as Allison opens the door to let Scott and Stiles inside. “What the hell does that mean for the pack if we don’t have an alpha?”

“I’ve managed just fine without an alpha,” Scott points out with a scowl. “Would you rather he let Allison die?”

Jackson growls as he slams the door behind him, paying no mind if he ‘accidentally’ bangs up Matt a little in the process. “No, never, but she looks okay now. And when have you ever been just fine, McCall?”

Scott bites his cheek as Stiles leads them to a downstairs guestroom to lay Derek down and tie up Matt. “I have, because I have my friends. They’re my...pack. We don’t need an alpha to watch each other’s backs, Jackson.”

Jackson falls silent and ignores them in favor grabbing something to tie Matt up. He even has the forethought to gag him as Scott and Stiles carefully lay Derek out on the guest bed. Allison fiddles with her phone, unsure of who to call first, but then decides to discreetly text Lydia to come and meet them in the downstairs guest bedroom.

“Should I call the police or my dad…?” Allison asks, breaking the silence in the room.

Scott looks up from his seat on the bed next to Derek’s prone form. “It’s up to you, Allison. You’re the one that…”

“Call your dad,” Stiles says as he watches Jackson shove Matt in the closet. “He shot you, and you’re covered in your own blood, but how are we going to explain to him that your wound is healed like it is?”

Allison bites her lip. “He’s going to try to ground me until I’m eighteen if he finds out I almost died tonight…”

“You what?” Lydia questions as she enters the room, staring at the blood covering Allison’s romper. “Allison! What happened? Are you okay? That’s not your blood, is it?”

“Lydia, calm down,” Allison replies, grabbing her best friend’s hands. “It’s mine, but I’m fine. Thanks to Derek.”

Lydia’s brows furrow in confusion. “Did he… Are you like them now?” she asks quietly, glancing at the werewolves in the room.

Allison shakes her head. “No, he healed me through our Triad bond...”

“I knew you had a third!” Lydia exclaims then frowns when she really takes in the fact Derek’s passed out on her guest bed. “What did have to do to save you?”

“His alpha powers,” Scott speaks up from the bed. “He gave them up and used the bond to save Allison from dying.”

Lydia sniffs then pulls Allison into a fierce hug, ignoring the blood that will probably ruin her party dress. “I could have lost you today...”

“You didn’t, that’s all that matters,” Allison says as she hugs Lydia back. “But we better call someone before Matt wakes up again.”

Pulling away, Lydia looks at Allison, pursing her lips for a moment. “Matt Daehler? He did this?”

“And apparently he was the kanima master that you mentioned probably existed,” Stiles adds, getting a smack from Jackson.

“He was what,” Lydia states. “Where is he?”

“Tied up, gagged, and in that closet,” Jackson tells her before kissing her. “Stiles already punched him for you.”

Lydia makes a pleased sound in her throat before pulling Stiles into a kiss. “Good boy,” she murmurs before straightening up and turning back to Allison. “We’ll go disperse the party. Call your dad, Allison. We can’t get the police involved as is, and your dad handles the supernatural. Matt falls under that category if he was able to control Jackson’s kanima form as his master. Let him deal with Matt.”

Allison sighs and nods as she scrolls through her contacts for her dad’s number. “Before you go, could I borrow something to wear? I don’t want my dad to see me like this…”

Lydia smiles. “I need to get changed too,” she agrees as she takes Allison’s hand and starts to leave the room. “Jackson, you and Stiles go take care of the party. I’ll be out in a few.”

Her boys nod their agreement. “You’ll be fine alone, buddy?” Stiles asks Scott, eyeing the closet for a moment.

Scott nods. “Yeah, we’ll be fine,” he assures then catches Allison’s eye. “You’ll be back after you get changed?”

“Of course,” Allison tells him. “I’ll bring some bottles water and a washcloth for Derek. Maybe some party food, if it hasn’t all been decimated.”

“I put some aside, in case they did,” Lydia mentions. “C’mon, blood is never a good fashion decision.”

Allison bites back a giggle as she, Lydia, Jackson, and Stiles exit the room. Scott sighs as he absently runs his fingers through Derek’s hair, hoping he’ll wake up soon.

* * * 

Derek feels a wet, cool washcloth on his forehead when he floats back into consciousness. He hasn’t opened his eyes yet, but he can hear Scott’s heartbeat close by, feel him sitting right next to him and petting his hair. It’s soothing in a way Derek never thought he’d feel again.

“You’re awake,” Scott murmurs, and Derek scrunches his eyes before opening them. “Your heartbeat changed and your breathing.”

Derek blinks blearily, groping to take the washcloth of his forehead. “You were paying that much attention?”

Scott snorts quietly. “Well, yeah. You passed out after you saved Allison. We weren’t sure what would happen…” He pauses then smiles. “Thanks, by the way. We know what you gave up to save her.”

Looking away, Derek takes a deep breath, in and out. “Power isn’t everything... I couldn’t let her die when I knew I could save her.”

“You’ve changed. Only a month ago, you’d never have said that,” Scott says, hesitating for a moment. “And I’m not just thanking you just for that.”

Derek turns back to look at Scott, wondering what he could mean. “You accepted us as your Triad. I really...I didn’t think you were going to,” Scott explains.

“I wasn’t,” Derek admits. “I’m older than you, and you and Allison are underage. This is a serious commitment with an unfair power imbalance-”

Scott snorts, interrupting Derek who glares. “No, sorry, it’s just... The only power imbalance we ever really had was your alpha power. I think we’re pretty evenly matched, and Allison can take care of herself.”

“That’s not what I mean, and you know, it Scott,” Derek replies tersely, pushing himself up to sit. “I have more experience, and I-”

“If the next words that come out of your mouth are ‘know better’, I’m going to punch you,” Scott interrupts, voice even.

Derek sighs. “Maybe not better, but it doesn’t matter now. It’s done. We just need to set ground rules.”

Scott frowns. “What kind of rules?”

“You and Allison can continue doing whatever you two do, but I won’t be...doing anything with either of you until you’re eighteen.”

“That’s two years away!” Scott protests, even though he can tell Derek’s not going to break on this.

“That’s the only way I can do this, Scott,” Derek says quietly, and Scott sighs.

“You’re worth it, but don’t just avoid me for two years? I won’t let you do that to me or Allison,” he agrees reluctantly then smiles slyly. “Allison’s actually a year older than me. She’ll only have to wait for you for a year...”

Derek flushes at Scott’s implications. “I’m not-” he stutters.

“I’m not going to wait two years if I don’t have to, Derek,” Allison’s voice teases from the doorway.

She’s wearing a nightgown with an L emblazoned on the pocket. “Don’t mind me. Keep talking about our Triad without my say,” she states as she approaches the bed. “My dad took Matt away while you were out, and he’s letting me stay here on the condition I sleep in the same room as Lydia. I think he was a bit too shocked about my brush with death to drag me home after I told him about the bond.”

Derek makes a choked noise as Allison sits on the edge of the bed on Derek’s free side. “You told him?”

Allison nods. “He might not be yours or Scott’s biggest fan, but your alpha powers are what saved me tonight. Without giving me the bite. I think he can’t hate you when it’s a human that almost killed his daughter tonight,” she explains softly. 

Scott reaches over Derek to lace his fingers with Allison’s. “I don’t think I’ve ever been so scared in my whole life,” he admits.

“I’m okay, Scott, I promise,” Allison soothes, squeezing Scott’s hand. “Thanks to Derek...”

Derek ducks his head and tries to slide off the bed, but with their hands locked over him, they won’t let him escape. “You don’t need to thank me,” he mutters, lying back on the bed when he figures out he’s not leaving tonight.

Allison presses a soft kiss to Derek’s forehead then she slips down the bed to lay next to him. “I wanted to.”

“Aren’t you supposed be staying in Lydia’s room, like you promised your father?” Derek questions warily.

Scott snorts as he flops onto his back on Derek’s other side. “One, it’s cute you think that’s gonna happen,” he starts off with a grin. “Two, Jackson and Stiles are staying here tonight. And three...”

“My dad knows that was never going to happen, but he didn’t want to push tonight. He’s just trying to make himself feel better that he’s leaving me at a house where the two boys in my Triad are also spending the night,” Allison adds cheekily.

“We’re not doing anything that’s going to worry him,” Derek states firmly. “You overheard what I told Scott, Allison. It’s non-negotiable.”

Allison huffs and places her and Scott’s hands over Derek’s chest. “We’ll just sleep. Your virtue is safe, Derek,” she teases.

“This isn’t a joke to me.”

“It isn’t to us either,” Scott agrees quietly. “We just think you could use some levity in your life, Derek.”

Allison nods. “And I’m pretty sure you haven’t been just held in a long time.”

“Maybe,” he murmurs. “You two don’t have any problems with me being your third?”

“No,” Scott replies, and Allison agrees with him. “We’ve gotten to know you these past few weeks, and I’m okay with as long as you don’t try to make decisions without us.”

“Right, I’m not a big fan of people making decisions for me,” Allison says, glancing at Scott. “That includes you too, mister.”

Scott ducks his head against Derek’s shoulder. “I know better now. I swear, Allison,” he promises.

She smiles then snuggles against Derek’s other side. “Good,” she says before yawning. “Now, just let us cuddle you like a good werewolf.”

Derek rolls his eyes fondly as Scott bites back snort against his shoulder. “I’ll let you get away with that...tonight,” he replied grumpily and lets himself be cuddled back to sleep.

* * * 

Allison slides into the booth first, yanking Derek’s hand so he can’t attempt to ditch their date again. He sighs and slides into the booth next to her. Scott takes the seat next to him, and they’re all glad that Lydia chose a restaurant that has booths that caters to triads.

Lydia corrals her own boys into the seats across from them and flags down a waiter to give them their menus. “Now,” Lydia says to Allison once the waiters left them to their own devices, “tell me about that family dinner you had the other night.

Derek and Scott groan in unison while Jackson chuckles at their expense, earning him an elbow in the ribs from Lydia. “It wasn’t _that_ bad,” Allison tells her, while Derek and Scott stare at her incredulously.

“Your dad gave us the shotgun talk,” Scott says while Derek says, “I think your mom was trying to get us to eat cookies laced with wolfsbane.”

Stiles snorts. “Oh man, Derek dying by cookies? That’d be hilarious.”

Scott scrunches up his nose unhappily. “Dude, she was gonna poison me with those cookies too.”

“My mom wasn’t going to poison anyone with cookies,” Allison says firmly.

“You should have recorded the dinner, Scott,” Stiles continues. “How did sourwolf here get through it in one piece? Curious minds need to know.”

Lydia makes a displeased sound at where the conversation’s heading, but before she can say anything, Scott speaks up again. “Oh, like the last family dinner you had with your triad?” he asks innocently.

Stiles amusement drops completely. “Nevermind!” he says quickly, but Derek’s caught on and has a smirk on his lips.

“Scott, I think you should share with the table,” Derek says, the tone of his voice overly sweet and amused.

“Oh no,” Lydia grumbles, hiding her face in her hands.

“Derek’s right,” Scott agrees as Stiles makes a slightly strangled noise. “So, last time Stiles went to the Lydia’s house for dinner, he got that earlier than Lydia and Jackson. Since he has a key, he let himself and found Mrs. Martin with her triad partners...”

“Yeah, totally awkward, scarred for life, the end! Hey, where's that waiter?” Stiles interrupts, babbling to distract from Scott continuing the story. “We should order our drinks, right?”

“No, McCall, continue,” Jackson says. “He and Lydia wouldn’t tell me.”

“I regret my life,” Stiles mutters when Scott shrugs.

“It was Sheriff Stilinski and Coach Finstock,” Scott tells them, and Jackson stares at him in shock.

“No,” he says incredulously.

“Yes,” Stiles groans pitifully. “I’ll never get that image out of my head. Thanks for bringing it back, Scottie. Ugh.”

“Then don’t make fun of Derek when you know that dinner was difficult for him,” Scott replies, taking Derek’s hand into his under the table.

Allison reaches for Derek’s other hand under the table and gives it a gentle squeeze. “See? We’re looking out for you,” she whispers.

It’s still not perfect; they all still bicker about little things (and bigger things) but at the moment, it doesn’t matter.

Life has a way of working itself out. Even with hunters and werewolves.


End file.
